Spinal injuries team praised for going ‘above and beyond’ to deliver excellent patient care

Pictured L-R: Moulana Aslam Seedat, Muslim Chaplain and Milli Cunningham, Ward Clerk.

The family of a man who suffered a life-changing injury following an accident in August this year have expressed their gratitude to the Spinal Injuries Unit and Chaplaincy team at Pinderfields Hospital.

Zahid Khan, of Keighley, who has been a patient on the Spinal Injuries Unit since September, has been left bedbound following a serious accident, was sadly unable to attend his grandmother’s funeral due to his hospital stay. Following regular visits from the hospital Imam (Muslim Chaplain), the team leapt into action to arrange a large TV screen in the Unit’s ‘Education room’, meaning Zahid could attend the funeral virtually.

The team liaised with Keighley Muslim Association and Jamia Masjid (Keighley’s local mosque) who offered a live stream of both the funeral and the burial service.

Zahid’s wife, Nafisa, said: “It was an amazing experience. The team went above and beyond to make Zahid feel like he was physically in the room attending the funeral. We were shocked at the effort they went to, we didn’t realise that things like this happened in hospitals, or that the hospital had a Muslim Chaplain who we could speak to.”

Zahid and Nafisa praised the unit’s Milli Cunningham, who arranged and set up the technology to enable this to happen, and who selflessly gave up her evening after work to ensure a smooth and meaningful experience for Zahid and his family.

Milli Cunningham, Ward Clerk at the Regional Spinal Injuries Unit, said: “This role isn’t just a job to me. When patients come on to the unit, they are usually here for an extended length of time - so they become family to us.”

To find out more about the hospital Chaplaincy service, visit: www.midyorks.nhs.uk/hospital-stay